Historically, mail or chainmaille, was a type of protective armor consisting of small metal rings, usually iron or steel, linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. The rings were predominately made by punching out of the metal to form a solid ring or by riveting a jump ring to form a solid ring. In Japan you would see the use of butted rings (like the ones I use in my work) in “Kusari”, but otherwise the butted rings were not strong enough protection to use in battle.
The earliest findings of chainmaille are from the 3rd century BC from Slovakia, and a Celtic Chieftain’s burial in Romania. Mail, as it was called prior to the 18th century was used by nearly every metal working culture in North Africa, Europe, the Middle East, India, Tibet, Korea, Central Asia and Japan. Invented around 300 BC to its limited use in present day, mail or chainmaille, has spanned a period over 2500 years, being used prominently throughout the dark Ages and the Renaissance.
Mail became synonymous with armor and was an extremely prized commodity as it was expensive and time consuming to produce and could mean the difference between life and death in a battle. Thus, mail was usually only worn by chieftains, nobility, and wealthier soldiers. Around the 14th century mail was being supplemented by plate armor as it provided greater protection and was often less costly.
Historical Use to Present Day Uses
Chainmaille was worn for centuries as protective armor by the warriors and in some cases by their horses during battle. More recent use of chainmaille is its use, again as protective clothing for butchers against meat-packing equipment. Workers wear the mail (weighing up to 8 pounds) under their white coats and commonly wear a single glove to protect themselves from self-inflicted injury while cutting meat. Similarly, wood carvers sometimes use chainmaille gloves to protect their hands from cuts or punctures. Scuba divers use mail as protection from shark bites, as do animal control officers. The British police also use mail gloves for situations involving knife armed aggressors. Chainmaille is also incorporated in the making of modern stab-proof vests. During WWI a splatter mask made of mail was used against shrapnel by tank crews and during General Allenby’s Desert Campaign a burnishing pad made of chainmaille was used to clean harness equipment. As well as being used in historical re-enactments, mail is used today in Brittan and Canada as military status symbols in the decorating of the epaulets of military uniforms.